Department for Transport

Hammersmith Bridge: Motor Vehicles

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government when Hammersmith Bridge will reopen to motor vehicles.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The London Borough and Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) owns and is responsible for the maintenance of and repairs to Hammersmith Bridge.As stated in my response to your previous question [HL6799], the next stage of the project is to reopen the bridge to motor vehicles. London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) is currently reviewing delivery options and developing a business case for this stage. Providing a schedule for the full reopening is part of this development process.

Shipping: Pollution Control

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the prevalence of bilge dumping in UK waters, and (2) the adequacy of measures to prevent, identify and punish the practice.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The discharge of bilge water from ships is governed by internationally agreed regulations which are implemented and enforced in the UK by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The UK regulations prohibit the discharge of bilge water unless specific control measures are met. These regulations were updated in 2019 and have provisions built into the regulations to enable the efficient implementation of new international standards to ensure that UK regulations remain current and effective. Compliance is monitored by various means, which include, satellite surveillance, manned aircraft surveillance and reconnaissance of UK waters and the UK Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), port state control inspections and the mandatory regulatory requirements for ships to report pollution incidents. If there is evidence of a breach of the regulations, the MCA can use a variety of enforcement action up to and including detention of the ship and prosecution of the owner/operator. All incidences of pollution must be reported and, where appropriate, feasible reports are investigated via a variety of means by the MCA. Records reflect that there has been no evidence of illegal bilge dumping in UK Waters or the UK EEZ. Potential illegal discharges recorded have all occurred within Harbour Authority jurisdiction; all have been minor and caused by accident rather than by any deliberate act to pollute. The impact of these incidents has been negligible and quickly resolved, with sanction and/or enforcement action to the responsibility of the Statutory Harbour Authority. The MCA’s Regulatory Compliance and Investigations Team has never had the need to undertake prosecution action for such situations.

UN Convention On Conditions for Registration of Ships

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 16 March (HL6741) and the recent actions by P&O Ferries, what plans they have to sign the UN Convention on Conditions for the Registration of Ships; and what plans they have to improve safeguards for seafarers’ jobs by encouraging other countries to sign the Convention.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Her Majesty’s Government will continue to review the merits of signing the UN Convention on Conditions for the Registration of Ships. However, the intent of the Convention is already enshrined in UK Maritime Law through other legislative instruments and conventions, in particular the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006, which is in force internationally, which deals with seafarers’ welfare. Neither the UN Convention on Conditions for the Registration of Ships nor the Maritime Labour Convention necessarily protect safeguards for seafarers’ jobs, but the MLC does provide a standard for protecting seafarers’ welfare and fair treatment when employed.

Ferries and Freight: Northern Ireland

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that (1) freight, and (2) passenger, services betweenLarne and Cairnryan portsare reinstated.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: We have worked closely with the Devolved Administrations on this. Other ferry companies have stepped up to provide the ferry capacity that has been abruptly taken out of the market by P&O Ferries. We have been able to obtain assurances that the further vessel and additional capacity Stena has put in will mitigate the P&O vessel being out of service.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Conservation

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to reducing energy use by demand-side measures, such as the steps promoted in the briefing paper by E3GThe Home Energy Security Plan: Demand-Side Measures to Lower Bills and Get Off Gas, published in March.

Lord Callanan: The Government always welcomes new proposals, such as those from E3G, for how we can reduce demand for energy that improves energy security, reduces bills and helps deliver Net Zero. As announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Spring Statement, the Government will legislate to expand the VAT relief for energy saving materials (ESMs). Last October, the Government committed a further £3.9 billion to support the installation of energy efficiency and low carbon heating. This takes our investment to £6.6 billion this parliament. We also plan to consult shortly on proposals to improve in-home boiler performance and plan to implement the Future Homes Standard in 2025. Any further decisions relating to spend and taxation are the responsibility of HM Treasury.

Natural Gas: Storage

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the UK's gas storage capacity in billions of kWh, compared with (1) Germany, (2) Italy, and (3) France.

Lord Callanan: An assessment of the UK’s gas storage capacity is provided by Ofgem in GB Gas Storage Facilities 2021. There are no any gas storage sites in Northern Ireland. The Government does not hold publicly available datasets on British gas storage compared to European counterparts.

Tidal Power: Finance

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to use Regulated Asset Base funding for projects with a long construction period for tidal range projects.

Lord Callanan: The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines, including barrage schemes and other alternatives. Any such proposal would need to demonstrate strong evidence of value for money in the context of other renewable technologies, as well as details of its associated energy system benefits and environmental impact mitigation strategies before the Government could take a view on its potential or on the funding models appropriate for exploration.

Shipping: Brexit

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Brexit on the legal rights of P&O Ferries employees who have been made redundant; and whether Brexit has affected the rights of British seafarers to work in EU countries.

Lord Callanan: The UK’s high labour standards were never dependent on our membership of the EU. The UK has a robust legal framework for employment rights – including giving workers the right to be consulted and given fair notice of potential redundancy. P&O Ferries has conducted itself in an appalling manner. We are working to establish the facts of the case, but there can be no excuse for the way workers have been treated.

Electrical Goods: Sales

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to recording of electric shocks, or other injuries such as burns, caused by electrical items purchased online.

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they collectregarding electrical appliances purchased online that are (1) counterfeit, (2) poor quality, or (3) faulty.

Lord Callanan: Businesses have a legal duty to notify market surveillance authorities where they have identified a safety issue with a product they have placed on the market, including online. To support the best use of this information, in 2019, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) launched the UK’s Product Safety Database. The database allows authorities to access and exchange data securely and effectively to ensure swift and appropriate action can be taken to protect consumers. If consumers have a concern about the safety of a product, or other consumer concerns relating to quality or faults, they can contact Citizens Advice in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland or Consumer Advice Service. They will refer suspected breaches of consumer law on to Trading Standards for enforcement action where appropriate.In order to further support consumers, OPSS publishes alerts on GOV.UK about unsafe products and recalls using information from the database. This includes regular Product Safety Reports. These contain information about individual products, including electrical products, that have been investigated and found to present a risk to the health and safety of consumers. Reports include details about the product, photos of the product, the risks it presents (such as electrical shock), the details of distributor and/or manufacturer, whether it was sold on an online marketplace, details of non-compliance, and the corrective actions taken by businesses.OPSS does not currently record information regarding electric shocks, or other injuries such as burns, caused by electrical items purchased online. However, OPSS is currently trialling information sharing with some NHS hospitals and continues to examine how we can make the best use of available data.In relation to counterfeit goods, the Government works with industry and enforcement agencies on a range of initiatives. The Intellectual Property Office collects intelligence on counterfeit items and works in partnership with Trading Standards, law enforcement, and industry groups to reduce the sale of counterfeit goods on e-commerce stores and via links from social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram.

Department for Education

Young People: Training

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people have been recruited to skills bootcamps in the years (1) 2019–20, (2) 2020–21, and (3) 2021–22 so far; and how many of these students studied environmental sustainability.

Baroness Barran: Skills Bootcamps are short, flexible courses for adults aged 19 and over. They support adults to gain sector-specific skills. This includes skills that support sustainability and the green industrial revolution, such as retrofit construction, vehicle electrification, and woodland management.Skills Bootcamps are very popular and there is a high demand for places. The department anticipates that approximately 16,000 Skills Bootcamps places will be provided in the 2021/22 financial year. These are backed by £43 million from the National Skills Fund. The current Wave 2 of the programme saw a number of Skills Bootcamps delivered in green sectors and jobs. We will continue to expand the programme further following the announcement of £550 million additional funding at the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021. This expansion will include an increased delivery of Skills Bootcamps that will support adults into green jobs.There were no Skills Bootcamps delivered in the financial year 2019/20. Between September 2020 and March 2021, over 2000 participants completed a Skills Bootcamp. Data collected as part of the evaluation of these Skills Bootcamps suggests that 22% of participants were aged 19 to 25.The department has commissioned process and impact evaluation for wave two of Skills Bootcamps, which is currently being delivered in the 2021/22 financial year. This evaluation will provide further information about participation in Skills Bootcamps in the 2021/22 financial year.

STEM Subjects: Teachers

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) bursaries, and (2) prestigious scholarships, worth £26,000 tax free to teachers in (a) Chemistry, (b) Computing, (c) Maths, and (d) Physics, have been awarded in (i) 2019–20, (ii) 2020–21, and (iii) in 2021–22 so far.

Baroness Barran: The attached tables show the number of trainees awarded either bursaries or scholarships for postgraduate secondary chemistry, computing, mathematics, or physics courses from the 2019/20 academic year to the 2021/22 academic year. The tables also show the bursary and scholarship rates available for each year.Figures for the 2019/20 academic year have been taken from data reconciled against accredited initial teacher training provider’s expenditure as part of our annual assurance exercise. Figures for the 2020/21 academic year have been taken from internal funding models and are currently being reconciled as part of the assurance exercise for that year. Figures for the 2021/22 academic year are the latest available and are subject to change as the academic year continues.Bursaries and scholarships are paid to trainees in monthly instalments provided they remain active on the course. Not every trainee awarded a bursary would receive the full amount available.HL7043_table  (pdf, 49.6KB)

Mature Students

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many adults aged (1) 24–40, and (2) 41–60, have applied for the free courses in (a) A Level equivalent, or (b) higher qualifications, since April 2021.

Baroness Barran: The free courses for jobs offer, launched in April 2021, gives adults the chance to access their first level 3 qualification for free. From April 2022, any eligible adult in England earning under the National Living Wage annually (£18,525 from April 2022) or unemployed, regardless of their prior qualification level, will also be able to access the scheme.There are over 400 level 3 qualifications on offer in areas such as engineering, social care, and accounting, alongside many others. These qualifications can support adults to gain skills to improve their wages and access new job opportunities.There were almost 12,000 enrolments reported on the level 3 free courses for jobs programme between April to October 2021. This enrolment figure will continue to grow as providers deliver to more learners throughout the year.The latest published data shows 6,640 24 to 40-year-olds and 3,920 41 to 60-year- olds were reported as starting on level 3 qualifications available through the free courses for jobs offer between April and October 2021.Qualifications above level 3 are not available as part of the free courses for jobs.

Engineering: Young People

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Engineering UK Levelling up engineering skills: widening opportunities for young people, published in February.

Baroness Barran: The department welcomes the report into levelling up engineering skills. It agrees that engineers and engineering technicians from all backgrounds have an important role to play in the UK economy.To support engineering and increase take-up, the government has committed substantial spending to improve teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in schools and colleges. This includes funding the advanced mathematics support programme to support schools and colleges to improve the effectiveness of level 3 mathematics teaching and increase participation.We are raising awareness of apprenticeships through our Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme, which has reached over 2 million students across England since its introduction in the 2016/17 academic year. In February 2022, during National Apprenticeship Week, the department wrote to all year 11, 12, and 13 pupils and their parents to tell them about the great opportunities offered through apprenticeships.The government is proud to be rolling out T Levels. We are working closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) and ASK programme to ensure the benefits of a high-quality technical education are communicated to students. In January 2022, the department launched the Get the Jump campaign. The campaign helps 14 to 19-year-olds explore all their education and training options. We recognise that technical education routes have lower levels of awareness. Therefore, this campaign spotlights T Levels, apprenticeships, traineeships, and Higher Technical Qualifications in particular. We hope that organisations concerned about the supply of engineering skills to the economy, including Engineering UK, will wish to join us in promoting awareness of these new, high-value technical routes that have been designed in partnership with a wide range of engineering employers.To ensure young people receive career advice related to engineering, the department works with the CEC to give them access to meaningful encounters with a range of employers and workplaces. The CEC and STEM Learning have launched a series of STEM toolkits to help Careers Leaders and teachers link careers to the STEM curriculum. The CEC are also working with Local Enterprise Partnerships to help Enterprise Coordinators in those areas with lowest uptake of STEM qualifications to make sure that STEM encounters are built into careers and enterprise plans.In addition, the department is investing over £18.5 million to support the full rollout of Careers Hubs across England with several innovative, experimental projects focused on STEM subjects, designed by Careers Hubs.We are setting up a new Future Skills Unit within the department to improve the quality and accessibility of data and intelligence on skills and jobs across government, individuals, employers, and beyond. The unit will help us to identify and understand the skills challenges facing the economy. It will work across government, including with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Office for National Statistics. It will also work externally with employers and local bodies to support stronger coordination and a common understanding of key issues.In the devolution framework published in the Levelling Up White Paper, the department has committed to devolving adult education functions and the associated core Adult Education Budget to new areas as part of new devolution deals. This is as long as the authorities cover functional economic areas and have the required governance. We will respond to our funding and accountability consultation later this year, including more detail on our future vision for the skills system.

Ofsted

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comments by the chair of the Social Mobility Commission at the Association of School and College Leaders Conference that school leaders should "put the blinkers on and ignore" Ofsted, as the organisation is "not a force for good’"

Baroness Barran: Every part of the education system, including Ofsted, has an important role to play in making sure pupils are receiving the best possible education and are kept safe. Ofsted inspection provides a rounded assessment of school quality, providing important assurance and recognition of the work of schools, and key information for parents.Ofsted’s latest post-inspection survey data shows that 9 in 10 schools that have been inspected agree or strongly agree that the inspection will help them improve. It’s latest parent polling information shows that 65% of parents say that Ofsted’s work helps drive better standards in education.

STEM Subjects: Teachers

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many ENTHUSE bursaries were approved in the years (1) 2020–21, and (2) 2021–22 so far, in both (a) primary, and (b) secondary, schools.

Baroness Barran: During the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021, 346 primary teachers and 333 secondary and post-16 teachers were supported by a Department for Education funded Enthuse bursary.During the period 1 April 2020 to 31 July 2020, there were no Department for Education-funded Enthuse bursaries awarded to support the cost of teachers attending face-to-face Continuing Professional Development, in line with government guidance on social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.During the period 1 April 2021 to 18 March 2022, 685 primary teachers and 781 secondary and post-16 teachers were supported by a Department for Education-funded Enthuse bursary.

GCSE

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools in (1) 2019–20, (2) 2020–21, and (3) 2021–22 so far, have offered their students (a) 5, (b) 6, (c) 7, (d) 8, (e) 9, (f) 10, (g) 11, or (h) 12, GCSEs.

Baroness Barran: The department does not hold information on the subjects offered by individual schools. However, the department does publish the number of entries into GCSE subjects, which can be used as a guide to how many schools offer these qualifications.The number and percentage of state-funded schools with pupil entries into at least 5 to 12 different GCSE subjects in academic years 2019/20 and 2020/21 is in the attached document. This does not necessarily mean that in the schools that entered pupils into at least 5 different GCSE subjects, that any one pupil was entered into all the different GCSEs.The data is not available for the 2021/22 academic year because the department does not yet hold information on what exams were taken in this year.HL7045_table (pdf, 76.8KB)

Children: Internet

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools in (1) 2019–20, (2) 2020–21, and (3) 2021–22 so far, have provided internet access to disadvantaged students.

Baroness Barran: The government has provided support for over for over 130,000 families to get online through uplifts in mobile data and 4G wireless routers. This included partnering with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help over 33,000 disadvantaged children get online and delivering over 100,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home. Schools may also have made their own plans to provide internet access to disadvantaged children and information on this is not held by the department.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Russia: Sanctions

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatinformation they have regarding the reported circumvention of sanctions on Russia by (1) India, and (2) Belarus.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In coordination with other countries, the UK is introducing the largest and most severe economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced. We remain focussed on building the broadest coalition possible, including with India, to continue the severe economic pressure on President Putin.As part of our response to the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the Lukashenko regime is being made to feel the economic consequences for its support for Putin. The UK is working with our international partners to prevent those who fail to respect the rules-based international order from reaping its benefits.Since 1 March, the Foreign Secretary has launched a series of sanctions on Belarusian individuals and organisations who have aided and abetted Russia's reckless aggression towards Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary has committed to going further. Our intention is to extend recent Russia sanctions to Belarus in due course.

Eritrea: Embassies

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the British Embassy in Asmara is closed; how long it has been closed; and when they expect to reopen it.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The British Embassy in Asmara is open. Opening hours can be found on the Embassy page on GOV.UK.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Pollution

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking towards securing a UNEA resolution for a treaty on plastic pollution; what timetable they are working to; and how they will monitor the effectiveness of any such treaty.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK is proud to have supported the proposal by Rwanda and Peru that led to the ambitious resolution on ending plastic pollution agreed at the continuation of the 5th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022.As laid out in the adopted resolution, a series of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meetings will be held to negotiate the content of the treaty. The first meeting is due to take place in the second half of 2022 with the aim of concluding negotiations by the end of 2024. An Open-Ended Working Group meeting is scheduled for the first half of 2022, where the INC’s programme of work will be discussed. The introduction of any monitoring mechanisms, including on monitoring the effectiveness of the treaty, will be negotiated by the INC. At UNEA 5, the UK announced it had joined the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution as a founding member to drive a comprehensive and effective new treaty.

Home Office

Electrical Goods: Sales

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they havegiven to the recording of fires caused by electrical appliance purchased online.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Home Office collect the number of fires caused by electrical appliances however we do not collect information on where items that were responsible for fire ignition were bought or acquired.

Asylum

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the backlog of applications for (1) asylum, or (2) temporary protection; and what assessment they have made of the effects these measures have had so far.

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the quality of the first substantive interview for asylum applicants.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Asylum decision makers receive extensive mandatory training and mentoring on considering asylum claims. We have a robust quality assurance strategy in place to ensure asylum caseworkers meet the standard expected of them, and to ensure compliance with the published policy.Asylum Operations has an internal audit process which assesses the quality of interviews, decisions, and the application of Home Office policy. We have Senior Case Worker assessments as well as independent auditors from Central Operations who audit asylum cases and provide quarterly reports. The quality of asylum interviews and decisions are systematically assessed against a detailed audit framework drawn up in consultation with external partners, which includes checks on compliance with existing asylum polices, relevant case law and the appropriate country of origin information reports.To help reduce the backlog of applications for asylum or temporary protection we are investing in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives which will speed up and simplify our processes, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision. These initiatives include conducting shorter, more focused interviews or omitting interviews where it is appropriate to do so, streamlining decision templates for grants and refusals and focusing on improving quality to ensure decisions are right first time. We have extensive recruitment and training plans in place, including career progression options to aid the retention of staff.We are continuing to develop existing and new technology to help build on recent improvements such as digital interviewing and move away from a paper-based system. We are streamlining and digitising the case working process to enable more effective workflow, appointment booking and decision-making. Additionally, we have introduced specialist Decision Making Units, providing greater ownership and management of cohorts of asylum cases.

Treasury

Trader Support Service: Location

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government where those employed to work in the Trader Support Service are located.

Baroness Penn: The Trader Support Service (TSS) is delivered and operated by the Trader Support Service Consortium members of Fujitsu, McKinsey and Company, the Customs Clearance Consortium, the Institute for Export & International Trade and HGS. Each of these businesses have their own staff working on TSS in locations across Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.

P&O Ferries: Finance

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to recover the emergency funding provided to P&O Ferries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Penn: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was available to any employer providing they met the eligibility criteria. Now that the scheme has closed, current decisions by employers to make employees redundant does not affect previous claims. HMRC have a statutory duty in respect of customer confidentiality so cannot disclose information on individual customers or businesses as specified in the question.  The Transport Secretary has set out a series of measures to ensure UK ferry operators pay the minimum wage, including actions to prevent fire-and-rehire tactics and working with international partners to deliver national minimum wage corridors. The Transport Secretary has also written to the Insolvency Service asking them to consider whether the P&O Chief Executive should be disqualified as a director.

Farmers: Lump Sum Payments

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the tax situation regarding the lump sum payments extended through the agriculture regulations.

Baroness Penn: The Government intends to introduce legislation to provide clarity that payments under the Lump Sum Exit Scheme will be treated as capital in nature and will be subject to capital gains tax, or corporation tax in the case of incorporated entities. The existing capital gains reliefs will be available where the qualifying criteria are met.

Trader Support Service

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many customs transactions the Trader Support Service has carried out for users in each year since it was created.

Baroness Penn: As of 22 March 2022, the Trader Support Service had processed a total of 5,324,676 customs declarations for goods movements on behalf of its users since it was created in 2020. 802 customs declarations were processed in 2020, 4,391,432 declarations in 2021 and 932,442 declarations in 2022.

Trader Support Service

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the operation of the Trader Support Service.

Baroness Penn: HMRC and the Trader Support Service continually assess customer satisfaction and the operation of the service to improve user experience and ensure value for money. From those assessments we know that the service is valued by businesses, that it helps traders manage the customs requirements under the NI Protocol and that the current customer satisfaction score is over 75%.

Russia: Financial Services

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatrepresentations they have made to the Bank of International Settlements to ensure that the suspension of international reserves prevents Russia from making international payments.

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theyhave encouraged the Bank of England to make representations to the Bank of International Settlements in order to ensure that the Bank of International Settlements is not used to circumvent sanctions on Russia; if so, whether they are aware of any such representations; and if not, whether they will ask the Bank of England to make such representations.

Baroness Penn: The government and Bank of England have cooperated closely in implementing sanctions on Russia and will continue to do so. The Bank of England has engaged with the Bank of International Settlements (BIS). The BIS has suspended access of the Central Bank of Russia to all BIS services, meetings and other BIS activities.

Trader Support Service

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many businesses are currently registered with the Trader Support Service.

Baroness Penn: There are 44,977 traders registered with the Trader Support Service as of 22 March 2022.

Energy: Housing

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the deficiencies in the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland which prevent the VAT reduction applyingto homeowners in Northern Ireland in respect of home energy saving materials, as referred to by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his statement on 23 March.

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the removal ofVAT on home energy products will take effect for homeowners in Northern Ireland.

Baroness Penn: Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, EU VAT rules concerning goods – which restrict the introduction of new zero rates - continue to apply in Northern Ireland (NI). We have been clear that a constructive solution must be found that ensures the whole of the UK can benefit from these reforms. The Government will raise this with the European Commission as soon as possible, within wider discussions regarding the NI Protocol. In the interim, the Northern Ireland Executive will receive a Barnett share of the value of this relief.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Hyde Park: Motor Vehicles

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to encourage the Royal Parks to close permanently the South Carriageway and the North Carriageway in Hyde Park to vehicular traffic in order to improve the quality of the environment and safety of pedestrians and cyclists in Hyde Park.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Royal Parks manages Hyde Park on behalf of HM Government, and is responsible for decision-making about operational matters.This is therefore an operational matter for The Royal Parks. We understand, however, that South Carriage Drive has been closed since March 2020 as part of a trial to reduce through-traffic in Hyde Park. Whilst the original trial was focused on weekend restrictions, the road has also been closed for safety reasons on weekdays during this period due to the introduction of a temporary cycle path, immediately outside the park, by Transport for London.We understand that The Royal Parks is currently assessing evidence of the trial on the weekend restrictions, and plans to make an announcement about the closure later this year.

RT: Licensing

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk that revoking the broadcasting licence of the Russian news channel RT may increase interest in its broadcasts.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: We welcome Ofcom’s independent decision to revoke RT’s licence to broadcast in the UK so that President Putin can no longer spread his regime’s lies on UK television. The Russian authorities must not be allowed to spread their insidious propaganda in the UK.We will not hesitate to take any necessary action against any key individuals and bodies responsible for disseminating these lies and are exploring all options further to choke off this material in the UK.

British Olympic Association

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last met the British Olympic Association.

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their position on the British Olympic team being called Team GB.

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the British Olympic Association about renaming Team GB to Team UK.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Government met the British Olympic Association as part of a wider National Governing Body meeting in February but did not discuss renaming the Olympic team from Team GB & NI to Team UK.The British Olympic Association is the National Olympic Committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and the UK Overseas Territories and is wholly responsible for our national representation at the Games and for any branding of the Olympic team representing the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Football: Ownership

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they have for foreign bodies (1) owning, and (2) investing, in football teams in England; and what measures they have in place to safeguard the interests of fans.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The ownership of football clubs is, and has historically been, a matter for the football authorities, not for HM Government.The tests for ownership of clubs were raised in the report of the Fan-Led Review which recommended stronger tests independently administered by a new independent regulator.HM Government is considering the recommendations of the Review, including those made on enhancing the existing owners’ and directors’ tests, and working swiftly to determine the most effective way to deliver an independent regulator.We will issue a formal response to the Fan-Led Review in the coming weeks.

Arts: Coronavirus

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the operation of Government-backed COVID-19 insurance schemes for the creative industries.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The UK Live Events Reinsurance Scheme and Film and TV Production Restart Scheme were introduced as part of HM Government's commitment to provide support during the Covid-19 pandemic and address market failure in the insurance sector.Both schemes have contributed positively to the creative industries.The UK Film and TV Production Restart Scheme has supported a production boom during the pandemic, so far protecting over 95,000 jobs and nearly £3 billion of production spend, ensuring the continued production of content for our screens. Since the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme’s launch in September 2021, around £110 million of cover has been written for a wide variety of events, including business events, concerts and theatre performances. So far, 2.7 million people have attended or are due to attend events covered by the Scheme. In addition to directly supporting events, the scheme also protects the supply chains and local economies that depend on their taking place.The Film and TV Production Restart Scheme’s operation was assessed by an independent body in a Process Evaluation published in January 2022. The research found that close working with industry on establishing the scheme ensured that those most in need of support were able to benefit. An impact evaluation will be published by the end of the year. Similarly, the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme will be undergoing a review in the Spring to assess its effectiveness, including the extent to which it has benefitted the live events sector while also delivering value for money for UK taxpayers. A full evaluation of the Scheme will follow in early 2023.